A stent is what is known as an intraluminal expansion element which is used to hold a vessel, for example a blood vessel, in the human or animal body, in an expanded state. For that purpose the stent is moved in a compressed first condition by means of a suitable catheter to the location in the vessel, which is to be held in the expanded state. When the implantation location is reached the stent is radially expanded into an expanded second condition. In the case of what are known as balloon-expansible stents the stent is expanded by means of a balloon catheter to such a degree that, by virtue of plastic deformation, even after removal of the balloon, it maintains its expanded second condition and thus supports the vessel. In the stents which are referred to as self-expanding the stent is held in a compressed first condition against a return force, for example by means of a sheathing catheter. That constriction is released at the implantation location so that the stent of its own accord assumes its expanded second condition.
A known stent of the general kind set forth is for example the Crown Palmaz-Schatz™ coronary stent from Cordis, Warren, N.J., US, in which bar elements extending in a meander configuration in the longitudinal direction of the stent are connected in the region of reversal or turning points of the bar elements by way of connecting bars which extend in the peripheral direction of the stent. Admittedly, those stents are relatively flexible by virtue of their design configuration with the bar elements extending in a meander configuration in the longitudinal direction of the stent, but they suffer from the disadvantage that they shorten in length to a relatively great degree upon being expanded from the first condition into the second condition. That is undesirable as in that case on the one hand they experience a change in position in the blood vessel and on the other hand, upon the reduction in length, under some circumstances considerable loadings can be applied to the blood vessel.